


For Research Purposes

by Mariabella Baggins (AgentFrostbite)



Series: The Dragon Riders of Middle Earth [13]
Category: How to Train Your Dragon (Movies), The Hobbit (Jackson Movies), The Hobbit - All Media Types
Genre: Bella in particular loves to tame dragons, Bella is a scholar, Bella is having way too much fun with the whole thing, But Dwalin is Very Not Happy with his best friend's choice of date, Dwalin is not amused, Dwarves don't like dragons, F/M, Female Bilbo Baggins, Gen, Hobbits train dragons, Thorin Oakenshield Is Not Amused, Thorin's definitely coming around, and she gives scholars a bad name in the sensibility department
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-12-02
Updated: 2020-12-02
Packaged: 2021-03-09 19:55:56
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,556
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27831883
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/AgentFrostbite/pseuds/Mariabella%20Baggins
Summary: Bella gets herself kidnapped by a Boneknapper, and it's up to Thorin and Dwalin to rescue her. It might be easier to swallow if she wasn't having so much fun.
Relationships: Bilbo Baggins/Thorin Oakenshield
Series: The Dragon Riders of Middle Earth [13]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1341334
Comments: 5
Kudos: 54
Collections: Just.... So cute..., One Two Switcheroo





	For Research Purposes

One of the things Thorin Oakenshield very deeply admired and respected about Bella Baggins was her fearless curiosity. She was a scholar through and through, but she was warrior enough to hold her own. She was driven by the pursuit of knowledge, not power, which, in his mind, was a noble pursuit. He'd leave it there, lest he begin to wax poetic about her skills, her talents, the way she handled even the wildest, most untamable dragons with ease-

"You're waxing poetic," Dwalin warned.

Thorin started slightly, then growled.

"I am not," he protested.

"You are," Dwalin insisted.

He was.

"According to the scout, they ought to be just up here," Dwalin then announced, brushing aside some more thick, leafy branches.

Apparently, sometime around noon, one of the scouts heard a commotion along the slopes of the mountain. Intrigued, he followed the noise to a small, well-hidden clearing, where a Halfling was being guarded by a monstrously large Boneknapper. The Halfling, completely unfazed by the fact that she was sitting in the Boneknapper's nest, gaily called to the Dwarf scout, asking him to go back to Erebor and bring back the King – that was Thorin – and a bit of 'dragon nip.' The scout had been completely baffled, and not a small bit frightened when the Boneknapper charged him. Curiously, the dragon broke off the charge when it heard ruffling, and had promptly rushed back, picked the Halfling up by her coat, and plopped her back in the center of the nest. She'd been, according to the man, 'very put-out by the whole affair, and not a bit as frightened as she ought to have been.'

So it was absolutely Bella, and once again, her curiosity had gotten her into a mess she couldn't get herself out of. Really, she was lucky the scout had heard something and come to find her, otherwise she might've been stuck with the dragon for a very long time.

Sure enough, there was the clearing, and in the center, a rocky island. The Boneknapper slept on top of the slanting rocks that made up the 'roof' of the structure, and in the center was gathered all manner of branches, leaves, and ferns. A few small, grassy shrubs were growing in and around the entrance, further hiding the nest. And standing in the middle of the nest, who else but Bella?

Despite his annoyance at her, Thorin thought she was still the most beautiful person he'd ever seen.

"Hello!" she called.

Dwalin stiffened beside Thorin. "Is she mad?" he hissed.

"Completely insane," Thorin deadpanned. "But never stupid about dragons."

If she was shouting, then it was safe to shout, no matter what either of them presumed to know. He approached slowly, even as the Boneknapper began to stir. It lazily shifted from foot to foot, eyes opening and closing sluggishly, as though it hadn't slept in ages and wasn't fond of the idea of waking. Bella climbed to the edge of the nest, then stayed there, leaves ruffling as she moved past them. Dwalin remained a half step behind Thorin, hand on his sword, no doubt.

"Did you bring the dragon nip?" she asked once they were closer.

"What in Durin's name are you doing out here?!" Thorin demanded instead. "What of this seemed like a good idea?!"

"I was exploring," she explained simply. "I'm a scholar, and there's a whole world of dragons here we know nothing about!"

"So you thought it was a good idea to wander off on your own? You're lucky that whatever dragon charms you have work so well, or you'd be lunch now."

The Boneknapper shifted more quickly, now that it was awake, and it spotted the two Dwarves. It stretched its large wings out, making for an imposing figure, and its stolen bones clacked ominously against each other as it climbed off its perch to approach them with the slow, malicious march of death itself. Dwalin muttered something in Khuzdul, and Thorin had to fight the urge to pull his sword for the dragon's inevitable charge.

"Tsch!" Bella clicked her teeth.

The Boneknapper paid no attention, so she rolled her eyes – though Thorin couldn't see them from his distance, she had a very distinctive head tilt that she did – and stepped out of the nest. The leaves and brush crunched and crinkled as she did so, making a lot of noise that drew the monster's attention. The change in the dragon's behavior was immediate. It went from stalking them to running for her. Like the scout described, it picked her up by her coat and dropped her gently back in the nest.

"What is it _doing_?" Dwalin asked, completely baffled. Thorin himself was quite at a loss for the behavior.

"I think she thinks I'm one of her hatchlings," Bella clarified. "She's rather protective of me, and does not at all like the idea of me leaving the nest before the rest of her hatchlings do. Hence, why I need the dragon nip."

Thorin nodded slowly. "So your idea of a good time is to wander off into unfamiliar woods and get kidnapped by a Boneknapper?"

Bella huffed as she scratched the needy dragon's face. Neither Dwarf had ever seen a Boneknapper so…disarmed. She smiled at it before turning her attention back to them. She never got past opening her mouth before it nudged her, demanding more affection. She laughed brightly, continuing to shower the creature with the affection it so desperately desired.

"I didn't come out here to get kidnapped!" she protested indignantly, though it had none of its usual fire behind it. "I did follow her, so I suppose I do shoulder a good bit of blame."

"You _followed it_?!" Dwalin asked incredulously.

"Why on Middle-Earth would you do that?" Thorin asked, annoyance seeping fully into his tone as he continued to approach while the dragon was distracted.

"For research purposes!" she defended. "I told you, I'm a scholar. This is my job, Thorin."

"When you're not teaching kids how to fly these things or running a kingdom," he pointed out.

"Or fending off my relatives," she added, and smiled triumphantly at the bark of a laugh she got from him. "You have the dragon nip?"

In response, he held up the satchel. Dwalin came to a stop at his side, looked dubiously between Thorin, the satchel, and Thorin's Beloved, and sighed.

"It's a curse of the King's Guard to have to protect the stupidest, most stubborn, boneheaded Dwarves ever to walk this Earth," he grumbled. "You're not luring that thing out, or anywhere near you."

"That's fine," Bella called. "Just get close enough to toss it to me, and I'll get myself out."

"Why don't you take this with you when you go out?" Thorin asked.

"It alters dragon behavior. I don't get accurate information if I have that with me. Speaking of which," she started, and he saw her eyes light up, "I've gotten so much out of today's visit, you wouldn't believe! These are Mystery Class dragons, yes? I'm fairly sure, because they don't possess characteristics for any of the other groups, although they _do_ have rather hot fire, so they might classify as Stoker-"

"Ghivashel, as much as you know I love to hear you analyze your dragons…" Thorin cut in.

She smiled acquiescently and nodded, walking to the edge of the nest, but never stepping beyond. Thorin and Dwalin approached well beyond what either of them was honestly comfortable with, and the Boneknapper glared at them, growling low in its throat. Bella snapped her fingers at it a few times, then switched to soothing tones, scratching beneath its chin. Much against the dragon's wishes, one of its legs reached up to scratch its own stomach, not unlike how Men's pet dogs did. That proved distraction enough for Thorin to get close and throw the satchel to her. The dragon immediately sniffed at it, trying to open it, and Bella laughed at its antics. She was clearly enjoying the whole mess far more than anyone else was.

She produced the dragon nip, and the dragon became entranced. She rubbed the grass against its snout, continuing to make soothing, cooing noises until it flopped over. She smiled, stuffed the nip back in the satchel, and laid a hand on its head. She said something, too quietly for Dwain or Thorin to pick up, then gave it a light pat and jogged over to them.

"That was… I don't have a good word for that," Dwalin remarked.

"A good one or a polite one?" Bella asked.

"Yes," Dwalin shot back. She laughed, and Thorin shook his head.

Terrifying as it was to see her interact with the beasts he'd spent his whole life killing, Thorin couldn't deny that she was very much in her element there. After all, who else could soothe an attaching dragon of a species they'd never seen before? Who could be so fearless, so awe-struck, so happy in their presence? Part Fae or not, there was a magic to Bella that he couldn't attribute to anything but decades of careful practice and love of her craft-

"Thorin?" she called.

"Hmm?"

"You're waxing poetic again."

"I am not," he asserted.

He absolutely was.

She and Dwalin shared a glance that told him neither of them believed him.

**Author's Note:**

> Hey, y'all! Frostbite here with a quick note. I volunteer at an organization in Middle Tennessee called Saddle Up! It's a therapeutic riding program that serves kids who have both physical and mental disabilities. It is the only organization of its kind in the whole of Middle Tennessee, and it changes lives every day. Thanks to the support of so many amazing people, we were able to surpass our fundraising goal! Thank you to all of you who took the time to read these notes, even if you didn't donate. Your support is so appreciated! Happy writing and Merry Christmas!


End file.
